Why holidays in Mexico hit differently: A perspective from our CEO

Growing up a kid successful Wisconsin, my household had tons of traditions astir the holidays. Not having been exposed overmuch to different cultures, I happily participated and for the astir portion enjoyed them twelvemonth aft year. I person galore peculiar memories of Christmas Eve midnight wide astatine church, oregon dressing up for Easter greeting mass, oregon making Christmas cookies with my sisters. We were fortunate to person an extended household of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins each surviving nearby. It wasn’t until I met my woman successful my precocious 20s that I archetypal began to instrumentality much enactment of immoderate of our traditions.

My wife, who was calved and raised successful India until she was 18 years old, would often question galore of our household traditions. Seen done the airy of galore of the spiritual/religious/seasonal traditions she was utilized to, she recovered galore of my traditions rather puzzling.

She was not successful immoderate mode criticizing oregon putting them down, but alternatively asking astir the origin, meaning and value of immoderate of them. Why did we spell to Walmart astatine 4 a.m. the time aft Thanksgiving to effort to people a 60-inch tv for $199, oregon binge devour portion watching backmost to back-to-back NFL shot games connected Thanksgiving Day? Why ticker 4 NBA games connected Christmas Day, oregon look for a handbasket afloat of cocoa candy connected Easter morning? Traditions they surely were, but the value oregon meaning of galore of them was not casual for maine to explain.

As I reflected connected galore of my traditions, I realized that implicit the years, they did look to go overmuch little astir the Chistmas Eve midnight wide oregon the Easter greeting wide and much astir eating a lot, buying a lot, and watching a batch of sports connected TV.

Commercialization seemed to person progressively crept in. I would support them by saying that it didn’t substance what we were doing; the information was that we were together, arsenic a family, and enjoying what we were doing. That seemed similar a bully reply to me, and my woman thankfully went on with that for years. Traditions were maintained and a bully clip was had by all.

That said, erstwhile I moved to Mexico I recovered myself starting to look astatine my vacation traditions successful a precise antithetic light. After spending clip successful Mexico during Día de Muertos and seeing the exceptionally affluent traditions that families person to enactment connected with their deceased loved ones, it’s hard to look astatine American-style Halloween the same.

In different Holy Week tradition, San Miguel families sojourn 7 section churches to spot the intricately decorated altars successful each location of prayer. (Travis Bembenek)

I retrieve past twelvemonth visiting immoderate friends successful Chicago successful October and feeling similar each different location was competing to person the astir elephantine Costco skeleton successful their yard. Don’t get maine wrong, I person had galore amusive (often times drunken) Halloween nights successful the U.S. implicit the years, but erstwhile you acquisition Día de Muertos successful Mexico, the vacation takes connected a full antithetic meaning.

Spending these past 2 weeks starring up to Easter successful my adopted hometown of San Miguel de Allende was different eye-opener. We person been present during different Easter periods, but this twelvemonth it deed america precise differently. We were retired and astir about each evening and were floored by the consciousness of household and assemblage of the traditions connected a nightly basis. Entire neighborhoods gathered to decorate the homes connected their thoroughfare with flowers, oregon laic down angiosperm petals successful beauteous patterns connected the street. Almost each were a multi-generational events, with young kids learning the meaning and value and value of each contented from the elders. It was profoundly touching.

Night aft nighttime we were moved by the consciousness of community, the household bonding, the progressive information of each ages of people, and the smiles and laughter accompanying astir each minute. One night, the assemblage decorated the streets with angiosperm petals each nighttime agelong for respective kilometers to greet thousands of spiritual pilgrims arriving earlier sunrise. Another night, we witnessed a contented symbolizing the tears of the Virgin Mary, successful which families springiness distant escaped foodstuff oregon h2o oregon crystal pick to anyhow who stops by. Yet different nighttime was the contented of going with household to spot the beautifully decorated alters of 7 antithetic churches successful the halfway of town.

And yet came the evening of Good Friday. Somehow I had missed it successful erstwhile years. In a 90-minute procession, hundreds and hundreds of radical recreated the ceremonial of Christ. I americium inactive astatine a nonaccomplishment of words to picture the event. There was implicit silence. Total reverence for the moment. No kids crying oregon playing. No compartment telephone conversations. No talking whatsoever arsenic we watched the procession of women and men, young and old, softly and solemnly locomotion though town. Every pistillate formally dressed successful their champion jewelry, achromatic veils, precocious heels and achromatic dresses. Every antheral formally dressed successful achromatic suits and ties. Every kid smartly dressed with flowers successful their hair. Children singing. A afloat orchestra playing quiescent euphony cleanable for the moment.

As evening fell connected Good Friday, the San Miguel assemblage gathered to witnesser the procession of “mourners” reenacting Christ’s funeral. (Travis Bembenek)

It was mind-blowing. It was impactful. It was humbling. And much than immoderate different clip successful my life, I felt the powerfulness of specified deep, meaningful and important traditions. It was perfectly magical.

My constituent successful today’s file is not successful immoderate mode to knock the traditions I had increasing up arsenic a kid. They successful portion helped signifier maine into the idiosyncratic I americium today. I person nary regrets. But I bash very, precise powerfully promote you to travel to Mexico for Día de Muertos, Christmas season, oregon Easter/Holy Week. I tin warrant it to beryllium an acquisition that volition interaction you, animate you, and springiness you a precise antithetic perspective. Seeing the “reason for the season” done the eyes of Mexican families and communities is genuinely a fascinating experience.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, moving oregon playing successful Mexico for astir 30 years.